The Past To Come
by MiaWaren
Summary: Poe Dameron has an important mission. He has to get stolen plans across the galaxy. Flying through the core, he gets caught by an abnormality. When he wakes up, the universe is not exactly how he remembered it to be. He meets an old friend, or rather their much, much younger self. Will he find his way back home? Or will he stay in those old new times?/ Feedback much appreciated.
1. Chapter 1

THE PAST TO COME

CHAPTER 1

''Come back to me," Lana said softly to her brother.

''Don't I always?" He chuckled and Lana rolled her eyes.

"Don't get me started on that," she said and walked away. "Remember Han, this time I'll really kill you if you don't," she said and smiled over her shoulder, just before walking out from the hangar. She was in her fifties. Her bright, blue eyes still had signs of overuse of Spice in her youth, her skin carried scars from her many adventures. She was younger sister to Han Solo and just like him, she was a smuggler and a great pilot. If one believed her own words, far better than her brother.

She took a deep breath of fresh air and watched the Falcon leave. She had her own dangerous mission ahead, but for a brief moment she could enjoy this peaceful sunrise. She quickly spotted Poe Dameron, also looking at the morning sky, his eyes clearly concerned.

"Don't worry Poe, if anyone is to fly your precious princess safely, it's Han," she said with smile.

"Ma'am," Poe straightened up immediately and nodded with a bit of respect.

"Oh stop it, I'm not your military," she dismissed him with a short wave of her palm.

"I'm not worried," he said. "It's just…"

"It's just that you think that she should travel on a corvette surrounded by dozen of TIE-fighters."

"Well…" the young pilot started, but Lana dismissed his words again.

"My brother is reckless, but that's just an occupational hazard. He'll get her there safely."

"I thought about a few dozens, to be honest," Poe replied with a shrug, making the older woman laugh heartily. She had a soft spot for him, always ready to chat with him, share her experience or even teach him a trick or two. And Dameron, he admired her since the first time he had seen her fly. She seemed like an inspired pilot, beautiful and free far up in the skies. He felt exactly the same whenever he sat behind the rudders.

"When are you leaving?" She asked, looking at the wrench in his hand. Despite of having the whole technical team, he always preferred doing the last check-up by himself.

"At noon."

"And which path are you going to take?"

"Safe one, through…" he couldn't finish as BB-8's blips explained his plans, making Lana close her eyes.

"Really? Through the galaxy core? Poe, are you mad?" She asked, unable to believe in what she just heard.

"Not exactly through. Just… close," he stumbled and sighed, running his dirty fingers through his black hair. "Look, it's the fastest way to the other side. You know we don't have time."

"I believe the whole point of your mission is to get there alive."

BB-8 blipped a few times in response like if he tried to say, I said so.

"I can do it," he assured her, biting on his lip. Lana sighed and walked to his jet, caressing it gently as if it was an oversized cat.

"Avoid abnormalities," she said after a moment of silence. "Your electronics will go crazy due to unstable gravity poles, but you should recognize them anyway. You'll feel it when you're close, the tingling on the back of your head. Don't trust your eyes, your equipment nor even BB-8. Trust only your feelings."

Poe's lips parted in sudden realization. "You went there. You went through the core."

"Like I said," she replied, still avoiding his gaze. "Avoid the abnormalities."

BB-8 looked at them both and rolled under the ship, blipping something about crazy ideas. The younger pilot walked to Lana and gently turned her around.

"How was it?" He asked, still in awe.

"Surprisingly dark," she replied with a faint smile.

"But when? How? Why?" He asked, but the radio strapped to her belt interrupted their conversation. "Captain Solo, we're ready to go."

"I'll be there, five minutes." She looked up at Poe and smiled. "I'm leading a convoy to Akiva. My knowledge of safe passages suddenly became important."

Dameron nodded, rather pissed at timing. She could tell him so much! "Have a safe journey, ma'am," he said with a nod.

"You too, dear boy," she said and softly caressed his cheek. "Be careful. I want to see you again in the new base."

"I'll be there, ma'am," Poe promised with a warm smile. When she walked away, he ruffled his hair and let out a long breath. "Come on, BB-8. We have some work to do."

"I know!" Poe shouted at another series of nervous blips from BB-8. "I know that too!"

As it turned out, flying through the centre of the galaxy was easier said than done. He wasn't even past half of his journey and already he had to deal with things like uncharted neutron stars, nearby black holes and huge asteroid fields. He couldn't fly in hyperspace, the safe routs weren't discovered, let alone charted, and flying through blindly would definitely end up with him dead in a heart of one of numerous stars.

"We're almost there, buddy. Hang on!" he shouted through his earpiece, trying to encourage his droid almost as much as he tried to encourage himself. They passed a thick gas cloud and for a moment space seemed clear. A safe passage to fly between two stars without burning to death. He was half-way through when he felt it, the strange feeling his friend had warned him about. Even though it seemed nothing was there, he felt uneasy and had to fight with himself not to turn around.

"BB, how much closer to the star can we fly?" He asked, trying to avoid the terrible void in front of him. But the answer from the droid didn't help much. They'd found an optimal path, they could turn a bit, but by no means they would manage to circle the abnormality.

"No, buddy, it's not clear there," he said, slowing down as much as he could before making the call. Every cell in his body told him to run, to drop the mission, turn around and find better, safer way around the core. But time was of the essence there. He had to get the stolen plans of weaponry to the gathering of clans from the Outer Rim. The gathering would have been in just twenty hours. No… There was no way around it.

"BB-8, punch it!" Poe finally gave the order, hoping that the full power of this thrusters would get them through that damn thing fast and smoothly.

For a moment everything seemed going well, even that dreadful feeling eased a bit. But not for long, just when he calmed down, happy they flew through the abnormality safely, all hell broke loose. First he felt an enormous headache, like if someone tried to put an burning rod right through his brains.

"Come on, buddy, we can do it…" he whispered, loosening his grip on the controllers. His eyes registered a flash of bright, blue light just before he fell into darkness. Poe Dameron, the best pilot in the galaxy, passed out.

Poe woke up in the cockpit of his crashed x-wing, hurting, thirsty and, surprisingly, in the middle of a desert. What was this place? How did he get there? All he remembered was that he had flown with an important mission through the centre of the galaxy, he flew into an abnormality and then… then what? There was only darkness and pain.

"BB-8?" He asked almost voicelessly, but after a moment managed to ask louder. "BB-8? Buddy, are you there? BB-8?" The silence that answered, terrified him. His metal friend was probably the closest creature to his heart. This panic started an adrenalin rush and he managed to get outside. Burning sun hurt his eyes, but Poe stubbornly crawled up to the top of his X-wing. He found the white-orange droid barely working, with broken antenna and many burned circuits.

"Don't worry boy, I'll fix you. I promise," he said lovingly, caressing the droid. "I'll fix you." After a few moment, Poe managed to find some water and felt a bit better. He made a backpack from his jacket and put the little droid inside.

"You're heavy," he said as he pulled him onto his back. The decision to leave was an easy one. His ship was completely broken, not a single piece of equipment was working, no transponders, no radio, no nothing. So he had only two choices. Stay there and die under a burning sun, or walk, hoping he would find a shelter and water.

A binary sunset painted the skies red when Poe, exhausted to his breaking point, saw lights in the distance. A village? A city? He didn't care. Light meant life. Life meant water and he was almost hallucinating from heat of the desert.

Seeing lights woke up new layers of strength and after half an hour he could see buildings of a small town. He was saved… He would run there if he could, but he could do nothing more than crawl on his hands and knees. But bad luck of that day wasn't going to end that easily.

"Stop right there!" a familiar voice of a stormtrooper stopped him. "Hands up!"

Poe was too tired to fight three people armed with blasters. He slowly raised his hands.

"Who are you?!" Poe tried answering, but even though he moved his lips, no voice came out. His throat was too dry to let him speak.

"Who are you scum?!" The stormtrooper asked, and when he got no answer, he hit him in the head with a handle of his gun. Before Poe passed out, he noticed something strange. Their armours seamed off, the shape of their helmet looked… old. Like from imperial times. But that was simply impossible…


	2. Chapter 2

Poe woke up when someone pressed a wet cloth to his lips and desperately sucked on it. He opened his eyes to see a hopeless view. Imperial prison cells looked exactly the same in all the corners of the universe. Metal walls, metal bars and metal beds sticking out from those cold walls. He focused his gaze on a person who gave him water. It was a young, dark-haired woman with motherly smile and gentle features. She helped him sit and gave him a metal cup.

"Drink, you'll get better," she said softly.

Poe took the water with grateful smile and drank it in few big gulps.

"Thank you," he said quietly. "Where am I?"

"Imperial prison," the girl replied, saddening a bit.

"Yeah, I know but… where?"

"They must have hit you really hard," she laughed heartily. "We're in Mos Eisley."

"Mos… We're on Tatooine?" Poe asked in disbelief.

"Yes, unless you know any other Mos Eisley."

Poe closed his eyes and lied down again. Tatooine… this was too much. How the hell did he get there?! Rubbing his face, he tried to figure out something, anything. The meeting had to already end. Even if he had flown there right this second, there was no way he would get there on time. And he was stuck in an imperial prison! Wait… did she just say imperial?

"I'm Alyna," the young woman said shyly.

"Poe," the pilot introduced himself.

"I've never met a real rebel before."

"A rebel…" he echoed while the woman continued.

"I must say, we're all supporting you. The way you destroyed the death star… it was amazing! You've kicked their asses and they'll soon fall. Are you one of their pilots? You must be so brave!"

Poe sat up in sudden and horrible realisation. The strange helmets, the rebellion, the death star… No…

"And stupid," added a voice from the higher bed. "Showing up here in your pretty jumpsuit. A death wish perhaps?"

"At least we're fighting for a great cause!" the girl yelled angrily. "Don't listen to her Poe, she's just a junkie thief," she assured Dameron. "Poe?"

The way Poe froze when he heard her voice seemed strange to her, she thought that maybe that bitch hurt his feelings. But dark-haired pilot stiffened for another reason. He knew that voice… Or maybe it was just similar and he was looking for hope where there was none? After all, what the Rebellion's hero would do in such forsaken place?

"You're a hero, Poe," Alyna continued. "You are all heroes."

"Oh yeah, great heroes indeed," the voice from above continued meanly. "Why do you think you are here? It's been hard enough before and now they gave them a reason to unleash their hell hounds."

"They stroke right into Empire's heart!"

The other woman snorted and smoothly jumped down from her bed. Poe parted his lips in awe. She would recognize those eyes everywhere… They called this colour a junkie blue as it was common among Spice users, but for him this colour meant his friend, his mentor, his hope.. She stood right there, young, beautiful, fierce… just how he had always imagined her. The problem was, she didn't seem any bit the hero he had heard about. She had no delusions, no hope and, what's even worse, no interest in the great cause. She was just… bitter.

"You sweet, naïve summer child," Lana said with over the top sweetness in her voice. "They blew up one gun from their arsenal. Granted, a big one, but just one gun. They'll strike back and blow those idiots from the face of the galaxy. They used to imprison rebel supporters and now you're gonna face a firing squad. You and your jackass hero alike. After they squeeze every bit of information out of him, of course," she said calmly and finally turned her eyes to Poe, who still tried to figure out what was going on.

"And you, what are you looking at? You know it's true," Lana said harshly taking his silence as a sign of disapproval of her words.

"I just…" he started, unable to recognize his friend in this cold woman. What was he suppose to say? That she would join them? That she would be one of key figures of Rebellion, alongside with her brother, Luke and Leia? That hope wasn't lost and the New Republic would rise?

"You remind me of someone."

"Oh really? Who?"

"Someone great. The best pilot I've ever known."

Alyna looked at him in disbelief. How could he praise this woman? She was one of the reasons why the Empire was winning and he just told her a complement?! Lana on the other hand, laughed heartily.

"Maybe I am her, 'cause the last one's true."

"Maybe," Poe whispered what made her furrow her eyebrows. Before her annoying companion could say something, Lana raised her hand, shushing them both. The echo of someone's steps was getting closer.

"If you want to live a bit longer, play dead," she said sharply and sat on the other bed.

The door to their cell opened and a man in a rank of a captain walked in in the company of four stormtroopers. They immediately pointed their blasters at all the prisoners. One could find interesting that two of those guns were pointed at Lana.

"Sorry boys, you hit your pilot a bit too hard. He's still useless," Lana said with a shrug, nonchalantly as if she didn't notice two blasters pointed right at her head.

"Shut up, scum," one of the stormtroopers growled. Their captain completely ignored her and looked at the other woman.

"Alyna Cerr'ak, for your numerous crimes including a public support for the terrorist organisation known as the rebellion, I sentence you to death. Take her," he ordered and two stormtroopers who weren't busy aiming at Lana, grabbed her. The young woman started crying, pleading and begging as they dragged her out of her bed. Lana didn't react, but Poe opened his eyes and threw himself on one of the stormtroopers. He couldn't let this woman die like that! She'd done nothing wrong! Luckily to him, he was too important to just shoot him dead and they just restrained him.

"Well, well, well, he's not so useless after all," the captain of the guards hissed and smiled disgustingly. "Get me the interrogation squad," he said to one of his subordinates. He walked to Poe and ruffled his hair. "Don't worry, you'll be next."

The stormtroopers dragged Alyna outside and locked the door, leaving the two other prisoners alone.

"You really have a death wish," Lana commented coldly.

"She was innocent!" Poe growled.

"She was stupid. Less than you are, but still. Though, I have to say, thank you."

"Thank me?" the pilot asked, still boiling with just anger. Lana smiled and flipped a key card in her fingers.

"For the commotion. It was hard to get this pretty with two blasters aimed at my head, but thanks to your stupidity… In a few hours, I'll be free."

It turned out that while the troopers were busy with Dameron's pacifying, Lana used the opportunity to take the key, idiotically strapped to the back of the belt of one of the guards.

"You're my lucky guy. Kind of sad you'll be dead by nightfall."

Poe couldn't believe his own ears. He knew Lana. She was good, kind, brave… not heartless and cold. But this woman in front of him… maybe she was Lana Solo, but only by name.

"What made you so bitter?" He asked, still furious.

"Bitter?" the woman chuckled. "I'm pretty happy for my standards."

"Yes, bitter!" Poe shouted. "You, great Lana Solo, my hero…"

"How do you…?" Lana started, surprised he knew who she was, but Dameron didn't let her finish.

"Shut up! What happened to you?! Luke, Leia, Han… they're all fighting now and where are you?! Where is the woman who sneaked out through a blockade to carry Emperor's plans for destroying planets? Where is the woman who stole a TIE-fighter and blew up the base on Vandor? Where is the woman who risked her life during blowing up the second Death Star?! What have you done to her?!"

Lana moved two steps back. "You're crazy…"

"Am I Lana?" He asked desperately. "Your brother believes in this and took up arms. Is the neckless you're wearing nothing but a trinket to you?"

Lana gasped and instinctively touched her chest. There was no way he could know. Even if he knew Han and he told him about her, their childhood and the neckless, there was no way Han could possibly know that she was still wearing it. After what had happened between them, she could've thrown it away a thousand times. What Lana didn't know, it wasn't Han who told him this story. I was her, many years later.

"Who are you?" she whispered, her bright eyes wide in shock. But she couldn't get an answer as the door to their cell opened again, this time with six stormtroopers coming in.

"You're coming with us," one said to Poe and they dragged him outside.


	3. Chapter 3

I hoped you enjoyed previous parts, here comes Chapter 3. I'll be glad for any feedback you can give me.

… … … … … … …

When the door closed, Lana dropped on the nearest bed and rested her back against the wall. Saying she was surprised was like saying that the desert was warm, a slight understatement to say the least. Poe's words were ringing in her ears. Who the hell was that guy? She didn't know him and she was certain of it. So how did he recognize her and know about the neckless? The idea that he was from the actual future was absurd, he must've known Han. And Han for some reason must have told him about his sister which he had left many years prior. But then again, how did he know that she still had the neckless? Was it just a bluff? It must have been. No one could know that. He was just a crazy rebel, a schizophrenic maybe, who spent too much time under the burning sun and was trying to shout out his anger. He used the medallion as a cheap shot, just to convince her to his delusions. Blowing up second Death Star… There was no second Death Star!

She took out the key card out from her pocket and started flipping it between her fingers. The crazy rebel would be dead soon enough and she would be free. She just had to wait for the lousy night shift to come. Wasting thoughts on Poe was just… wasting thoughts. She had to figure out how to sneak out, not to worry about some madman. She heard steps on the corridor and immediately hid the key card. She rested more comfortably and closed her eyes, pretending to be a bored prisoner.

"Did you see his droid?" One of the stormtroopers asked his colleague.

"No. What of it?"

"It's like a completely new tech, no one even knows how it works. They say that the Great Inquisitor himself got the report and will come to investigate."

"Oh man… When?"

"In a few days."

Lana didn't hear the rest of their conversation as they walked too far. Great Inquisitor… awesome, another reason to escape as far as possible. Poor Poe, he could've died that night, but they wouldn't let him. The Great Inquisitor would burn this place to the ground if they had killed his prisoner before he got a chance to interrogate him. But… a person so close to the Emperor himself would not come to this force forsaken place for a random pilot. What did they say? A brand new tech? Could it be..? No, it couldn't. Things like that don't happen. Ever. But what if…

Lana growled quietly. This man couldn't be from the future. Yes, he talked some bullshit about future events and knew things he had no right to know about. And yes his jumpsuit looked a bit strange when to think about it, but maybe the rebels ran out of fabric or something. Time travels were impossible, everyone knew that.

She's been thinking about the escape plan for quite some time when she caught herself on a strange thought. Did she and Han reunited in his future? Were they brother and sister again?

"Too much Spice, you idiot," she growled at herself. She took a sip of water and touched her chest. Why did she get so emotional? Han was dead to her just as she was dead to him. Thinking about an impossible future was stupid and childish. And yet she was aching to ask.

… … … … …

Twin suns were lowering down and Lana counted time to night shift control. Then she had to wait about an hour for them to fall asleep and she would be free to go and fly away. Another great escape added to her resume. She would be free… and she would never hear an answer from Poe. No, waiting would be stupid. The less time to Great Inquisitor's arrival, the more nervous and trigger happy the stormtroopers would become. It was too much risk, it had to be that night. The pilot had been already lost. Even if she wanted to help him, there was no way she could sneak him out. Escaping was a reasonable thing to do. She had no choice, she couldn't risk for this madman's certainly untrue answer. Time travels didn't exist. It was just a fact.

And yet, curiosity killed a cat.

… … … …

Two stormtroopers dragged half-conscious Poe back to his cell and tossed him onto the floor. He moaned and turned to his side. Strange, how some things never change. Their methods of interrogation were no different than those used by the First Order many years later. Poe had already survived those so he managed to stay quiet also this time. His knowledge of the past and plans hidden in his droid could've changed the future in the worst way. And even though in those times Leia hadn't been a general yet, he stayed loyal to her.

The cell was dark and quiet. So she escaped. Of course she did, to be honest he couldn't really blame her, he was just… disappointed. Maybe something would change her later, or maybe she would remain this cold-hearted bitch. Now that he was there, he wasn't sure if his future would still exist.

He crawled to a small flask of water she had to leave behind. Every cell in his body moaned at his move. The interrogators had one order – keep him alive. No one said anything about anything even resembling well-being. Thirsty and hurting Poe reached for the flask.

"Don't drink it now, it will only make you throw up," a voice from above said quietly. Poe couldn't believe his ears.

"Lana?"

The woman jumped down her bed and knelt beside him, taking his hand away from the flask.

"It will only make things worse. Trust me, I've been there," she said surprisingly softly.

"You didn't escape…"

"Thanks to you the guards are walking around like sniffing hounds. I'll wait," she lied smoothly. There was no need for him to know the real reason why she stayed. It seemed Poe believed her story and just rolled onto his back.

"You've made quite a commotion," she said after a moment, just to break silence. "They bring the Great Inquisitor just for you."

"Great…" Poe whispered, now understanding why they spared his life. He had heard stories about this man. People prayed for death if they got in his hands.

"Try to sleep," she said softly. There was no need to move him onto one of the beds. They were just as cold and uncomfortable as the floor. "They won't come for you until his arrival. You must be in shape."

She got up and laid down on the nearest bed.

"Why do you hate the Rebellion so much?" Poe asked after a moment. He was going to die a terrible death soon, they could at least chat. Hearing a familiar voice was somewhat comforting, even though he didn't know the person behind it anymore.

"Hate? I don't hate them, I just think they're a bunch of idiots. Don't get me wrong, I'm no fan of the Empire, but the rebels are like children in a thick fog. They took down the Death Star and scattered instead of following through."

"They're still fighting."

"Oh and they're doing an amazing job at that. Before they caught me, I've heard that three bases had fallen within a week. They poked a sleeping monster and now it woke and we're all paying the price."

"They'll win," Poe assured her.

"If you say so," Lana said with a shrug. She rolled to her side, looking at the dark silhouette of a pilot.

"Do you know Han?" She asked, trying to make it sound as casually as possible.

"Sort of."

"Did he tell you about me?"

"No. When I said sort of… Look, it's complicated. I'm in a wrong place and in a wrong time. You wouldn't understand, I certainly don't."

"Did he tell you about the neckless?" Lana asked, ignoring everything after the word _no._

"No," Poe answered with an annoyed sigh.

"Then who?"

"You did."

"I don't even know you," Lana whispered and Poe sighed again.

"Not yet because Poe Dameron that you know is right now just a baby on Yavin IV."

"Did they drug you?" Lana asked, sitting up.

" No, I… I'm a fighter pilot for the Resistance. After the Empire falls and New Republic blooms, new dark force known as the First Order will rise. We're fighting it and I'm their captain. I was on a mission to get something from one side of the galaxy to another. I took the path through the centre of the galaxy, even though you warned me against it. I got caught by some abnormality and I woke up here on Tatooine. And you… I've always admired you. You were great, when I last saw you, you were about to lead our convoy."

Lana said nothing to his words, unable to believe them. Well, giving the circumstances she couldn't throw them off to the garbage, but still…

"You don't believe me," Poe stated the obvious.

"Can you blame me?"

"Look," he said quietly, trying to remember a story from her past personal enough to make her believe. "There is a trick I like, a barrel after one eighty in place, it confuses the enemy, works great. You thought me that when I was a young pilot. When you told me to try, you said it was a trick your brother had taught you after you had escaped Garris. I was quite jealous you knew how to do it at such young age. But I must say, I've perfected it quite a bit since then. "

He had to wait a long time for an answer. He couldn't see her face in the dark, but he would've sworn he heard her voice crack a tiny bit.

"In your future… me and Han… do we… talk?"

"You argue a lot. But you're a great team. What you two have done during the assault on Kashyyyk… they teach that in schools as an example of a master plan."

"It's a very pretty future," she said with some incredible sadness in her voice. "But in this world, I am dead to him."

Poe managed to sit up and rested his hands on her knees.

"This future is still to come. Lana… I had a droid with me. The accident burnt his circuits, but it's not beyond repair. Inside him there are plans of weaponry. Over twenty five years of advance in technology. I know you don't believe in the Rebellion, but if the Empire gets those plans… there will be no future at all."

"You want me to sneak you out," Lana said sharply.

"No… I know you won't risk it. But if you believe in any future at all, I'm begging you, get BB-8 and take him with you."

It was his last hope. He knew he wouldn't get out of there alive, but if she believed him… maybe there was still chance to get BB-8 and the plans out from the hands of the Empire. He looked up when Lana squeezed his hands.

"Go to sleep, Poe. You need rest," she said quietly.

"Lana… please…"

"Rest. I'll need you in shape."


	4. Chapter 4

''We could blow up the entrance," Poe mused making Lana sigh once again that morning.

"Shut up."

"We can steal one of their TIE-fighters and…" he wasn't able to finish when her hand forcefully muffled his mouth.

"I said shut up, hot shot," she hissed and looked over her shoulder. Thankfully, the corridor of their prison was empty.

"Let's make something clear," she whispered when she turned her eyes back at him. "Do you want to get out?"

Poe nodded as his mouth was still muffled and after all the tortures from the previous day, he wasn't strong enough to fight off this fierce woman.

"Do you want to get your droid back?"

Poe nodded again.

"Good, so let's set some rules. You keep your mouth shut and do what I say. One stupid move and I ditch you without ever looking back. I won't die because of your recklessness. Is that clear?"

The pilot nodded once again and Lana took her hand away.

"So what do we do?" Poe asked quietly.

"We wait," Lana replied shortly and sat on the floor, her back resting against bars.

"Don't you think I should know the plan?"

"No."

Apparently this was the end of conversation.

… … … … … …

While days on the desert are hot as hell itself, it all turns during the night. Poe started shivering and wondered how Lana could sleep so peacefully. She just lied on the cold bed and seemed to immediately drift off, while he couldn't catch even a minute of sleep. He was too nervous to just close his eyes and relax. All he could think of was his droid. Were they able to power him? Did they get those plans? Did they break his poor metal friend even more? He cringed when he heard stormtroopers walking outside. He hated those people with fierce passion. Five minutes later Lana swiftly jumped off her bed. So she wasn't sleeping after all…

"Get up," she ordered. "We don't have much time."

Poe stood up. He had no choice, even if he had died during the escape, it would've been still better than getting into the hands of Great Inquisitor. She opened the door and quietly sneaked out. Lana turned to Poe and smiled in quite unpleasant way.

"Let's see what you're made of. Can you break a neck?" She asked almost voicelessly.

"If I have to."

"Well, you do."

She pressed her finger to her lips ending the conversation. She leaned down, taking a sharpened spoon out of her boot. Poe couldn't help but wonder how much time did it take to make.

They quietly walked to a small room where two troopers started playing cards. Luckily for them, it was Moss Eisley, not some high-tech high-security prison. On the sign of tree, both prisoners stormed in and quietly killed the guards. Poe broke the neck of the first one, while Lana stabbed the other with the sharpened spoon, right in this sweet spot where the helmet only lightly touched the body armour so something thin could slip through. She looked at Poe and nodded with appreciation. So far so good.

"Secure the entrance. I need a minute," she said and sat by the computer. He took a blaster and watched the front door while her fingers quickly clicked on the keyboard. He felt… wrong. It was something different to kill while in TIE-fighter, or even with blaster than doing it with bare hands.

"I got him, but his locked away. We won't get there."

"I'm not leaving without BB-8!" Poe protested which made Lana curse.

"Dress up," she said after a moment, pointing at the white armour.

"Why?"

"Just do it!"

"What about you?"

Lana smirked and swirled a pair of handcuffs in her hand.

"I'm your prisoner now."

… … … … … …

"She claims she knows how to power up the droid," Poe said when he entered the headquarter. Luckily, the night shift there was also much smaller. He held Lana firmly with one hand, while the other held a blaster, currently pressed to her side.

"Does she?" the lieutenant smiled, just imagining his quick path to the higher table. Such accomplishment would be certainly rewarded.

"I want to cut a deal. I'll power up your pretty little droid and you let me out," Lana stated, looking him in the eye. His expression tensed and he slapped her quite hard, making her sway on her feet. Poe gritted his teeth what was luckily concealed by his helmet.

"You're in no place to ask for a deal, you junkie bitch!" He yelled and grabbed her by her throat, choking her. "But alright, we'll make a deal. You power up this ball and you won't face a firing squad. Agreed?"

Lana only nodded. She didn't even have to pretend being afraid, lack of oxygen did it for her. When he let her go, Poe also loosened his grip so she fell on her knees. Coughing and breathing heavily, she was planning a very painful death for this man. She'd probably find interesting that Poe was doing the exact same thing.

The lieutenant waved at some other trooper.

"Bring the droid," he said and leaned over kneeling Lana. "I'll make sure you regret this if you lied."

"I can do it… sir." She almost spitted the last word and kept her gaze fixed on the floor.

Poe almost gasped when the other guy brought BB-8. The lieutenant nodded at him.

"You, untie her hands. And go back to your duties, you won't be needed," he ordered.

Poe assessed their situation. There were four men in the room of whom only three had blasters. But there was only two of them and with only one gun. He wondered if he was fast enough. He needed to give it a try.

He leaned down and freed her hands, then quickly reached for the blaster. Two shots reached their targets. Communication officer and one of the guards fell dead. Lana rolled behind the desk and reached for the gun as well. The lieutenant aimed at Poe but she was first. She fired six shots on him and every one reached its target. While she was doing that, Poe killed the fourth one.

"What do we do now?" He asked, kneeling next to BB-8 and checking on him.

"They have a hangar where they keep all confiscated ships. I say we run."

Poe nodded and grabbed BB-8. Lana got up and ran through the door with blaster in her hand.

"We have a company!" She screamed when she heard sound of heavy boots on the metal floor. They had to run fast. When they got to the hangar, shots had already been fired. Dodging what they could, they ran inside. Poe started shooting while Lana tried to break a code to close the door. When it didn't work, she just shot the console. The door closed right in front of the troopers.

"It won't stop them for long, go!" They ran down the hangar until Lana finally pointed at one of the ships.

"This?! Poe asked shocked. There were many better ships they could steal. "This piece of…"

"Shut up and get on board!"

She looked around. The main door to the hangar was sealed and the door they ran through would not hold for long…

"You said you're a pilot?"

"Yeah," Poe answered. "The best pi…"

"Good, get the engines running," she interrupted him and ran down to the console. After a few long, agonizing moments she managed to open the door. But when she was running back, the stormtroopers got in as well. She managed to get on the steps of her beloved ship and the hatch was about to close when one blast hit her. She screamed and fell on her knees, feeling nothing but burning pain in her left side.

"Lana, you okay?" Poe shouted from the cockpit.

"Punch it!" She yelled back and crawled on the floor. Hand blasters could not hurt a ship like that, at least not badly. Poe flew out smoothly and headed towards the night sky. As fast as he could, he set a course and jumped to lightspeed. When the ship was safe, he ran back to the hatch and found Lana, curling from pain on the floor.

"Hey," Poe whispered softly when he helped her rest on his arm. "I've got you." He ripped a piece of his shirt and pressed it to the bleeding wound. It looked awful but a medical droid should take care of it. "I've got you."


	5. Chapter 5

Lana woke up a few hours later. Her side was still aching so she ran her fingers down her skin. The wound seemed healed and Lana smiled, so glad she had managed to repair the medical driod before they arrested her. She opened her eyes and slowly turned her head. She noticed Poe, trying to fix his little orange friend. He was so dedicated he didn't even notice her rolling to her side.

"The tools are in a hatch over your head," she said with a hoarse voice. Poe's head jerked up and he grinned when he saw her conscious and well. He left BB-8 for a moment and knelt beside her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Hey…," he murmured softly. "How are you feeling?"

"Never been better," the woman replied with a gasp as she tried to sit. Poe knew that trying to put her back to bed was useless, he knew that type. He only wrapped his arm around her back and helped her to get up.

"Where are we going and what have you done to my beautiful ship?" She asked, looking around. Then she noticed something, Poe changed his cloths to something awfully familiar.

"Where did you get those?" she asked, pointing at his black shirt.

"Hey, calm down, one question at the time," he said with a chuckle. "Your ship's fine and we're going to an old friend of mine, Maz Kanata." He noticed how her expression darkened when she saw what he was wearing. He found those cloths in the living quarters and now realised they had to belong to someone close to her. Were they Han's?

"Needed to lose the jumpsuit. I can take it off if you…" he said softly, but she, as always, interrupted.

"Keep it," she said with some deep sadness in her voice. The man it belonged to, the man she loved was already dead, he probably wouldn't mind.

"And we're not going to Maz."

"Why not? I know her. Well, I will know her, she'll help us. Help me."

"I'm the captain of this bloody ship and I say no!"

"Why not?!" Poe asked surprised. In his timeline both women knew each other well and he had never seen any conflict between them.

"I have reasons," Lana replied, offering no explanation at all.

"Well to bad, sweetie, we need to refuel and we're half an hour from Takonada," he huffed, stood up and walked to the cockpit.

The woman cursed under her breath. It wasn't that she didn't like Maz, it's just… she was always pushing her to reconcile with Han and she just wasn't in the mood to hear that yet again. But Poe was right. They needed to refuel, make repairs, get some money and Maz's place was the best and the safest to do all three. She got up and walked to the cockpit as well. She ran her fingers against the cold metal and smiled in the warmest way. It was so good to be back.

"You're right," she said after a moment. "We need to go to Takonada. But if you may, I'll take the controls from here."

Poe wanted to protest but after all, he was a pilot as well. And he knew how much Lana was attached to her ship. He got up and gestured at the captain's seat for her to take. Lana sat down and ran her fingers over the controllers.

"What have they done to you," she murmured softly as if she was speaking to a child or a lover. Poe smirked. Yes, that was Lana Solo he knew. He sat down on the co-pilot seat and watched her work. After she jumped out of lightspeed and made a sharp turn towards the planet, he finally decided to ask a question that had been on his mind for quite some time.

"How do you manage to do everything on your own? Without a co-pilot I mean."

Lana seemed to tense just a little bit and looked straight ahead, not answering for quite some time.

"I had a co-pilot. He died," she said in surprisingly unemotional tone. Poe's jaw tensed a bit. Now he understood whose shirt he was wearing. He watched her land in uncomfortable silence, just outside Maz's castle. Finally some familiar place…

… … … … …

"Lana, my child!" Maz greeted her the moment she spotted the young pilot. "It's been so long! And you brought a new friend."

"Maz," Lana replied with a bit of forced smile. "Sorry, had some jailtime. It's Poe Dameron."

Maz seemed to ignore her reply for a moment as she curiously looked at Poe to the point he felt uncomfortable. Maz had this special talent of making people feel that way with just her gaze.

"So I've heard. Also, I'm so sorry about Han."

Lana frowned. "Sorry about Han? Why?"

"You were on Tatooine and didn't hear? He's making for a stick figure in Jabba's palace. Frozen in carbonite."

Poe immediately looked at his companion. Yes, that was it. That had to be this moment! Now she would finally join the rebellion!

"Well, he got what he deserved probably," Lana replied with a shrug of her arms.

Or not. Poe couldn't help but let out a disappointed sigh. What happened to her? Maz looked disappointed to. She only shook her head and led them to a table.

"Drinks on me, kid. Looks like you had a rough day."

Poe looked at Lana and shook his head.

"Are you really gonna stay here and do nothing? I thought he was your brother!"

"Exactly, was," the younger of the Solo siblings hissed. "He stopped being one when he left me all alone ten years ago. I was just sixteen!"

It was hard to say that maybe Han had a reason. Poe couldn't imagine leaving his younger sister if he had one. But he knew they'd reconcile, he knew for a fact that they'd fly together again. But he also knew how stubborn they both could be. How hot-headed. But he also saw that as much as she played tough, the news hit home. He could tell by her pose, by her fingers tapping against the wooden table. He knew she was conflicted. It was clear she just needed a push, but if news of her brother slowly dying in Jabba's palace didn't do much, what could?

Lana looked around and noticed some men playing Sabacc. She got up and spoke to Poe before walking away.

"Go talk to Maz. If there's anyone in the universe that can help you, it's her. I'm gonna win me some money."

… … … … …

She had a good hand that night, winning easily against men who drank too much and cheated too slowly. She even forgot about Han for a moment. Part of her heart wanted to go there, to help him… But the rational and stubborn part repeated, _remember what he did to you. You owe him nothing._ She was about to make another winning bet when she heard familiar voice behind her back.

"Well isn't that the prettier of the Solo's?"

Maz had a strict policy about guns inside her cantina, but never said anything about knives. She grabbed one from the nearest table and swiftly turned around, aiming at this man's neck. Sadly, he wasn't a lousy stormtrooper, but Boba Fett, an infamous bounty hunter. He grabbed her hand and twisted it, making her drop the knife.

"Now, now, sweetheart, don't do anything stupid," he said almost playfully, enjoying his superiority. He knew she hated him with fierce passion and had good reasons for it. But he was a professional, he only killed what he was paid for. He let her go and grabbed her chin.

"Don't make me drag you on your knees to Vader as I did with your brother,"

"You did what?!" she hissed and pushed his hand aside. This man, this bloody son of a bitch was her curse. He'd caused her some much pain over the years and now he got Han…

"Double deal, from Vader and Jabba. I have to admit, you Solos are becoming more and more valuable." She tried to punch him, but he grabbed her again, twisting her arm behind her back and whispered right to her ear.

"From what I've heard they're gonna pay a pretty price for you as well soon enough. I could snatch you and your curious friend right now, but I enjoy a good hunt." Lana struggled and Boba Fett tightened his grip.

"Your luck Maz doesn't appreciate conducting business here… Go, enjoy yourself while you still can," he said finally letting her go. "And don't try anything funny or I'll kill you on the spot. You're out of luck sweetheart."

She looked at him with dead cold eyes. "You'll wish you'd killed me today, Boba. I promise you that."

… … … … …

Poe walked down the stairs looking for Maz and looked at some items she had collected over hundreds of years. She was mystery to him and probably everyone else, but she was always kind and helpful. She had the shadiest of shady businesses but she was still on the side of light.

"Are you lost, boy?" She asked from behind his back, making him jump just a little bit.

"I was looking for you Maz," he replied, but she shook her head.

"That's not what I'm asking."

Poe gapped but then he remembered it was Maz, for some reason she sensed things like this. His back bent a bit as he sighed.

"More than you know…"

Maz smiled at him and took his hand.

"It might seem you're in the wrong place, in the wrong time. But if you let the force guide you, you'll learn that nothing is a coincident."

"Maz I have to go back," he said and tried to explain, but the woman shushed him.

"Trust the force, boy. You will come back when the time is right, but now you have your task here."

"What task? What can I do?"

"I don't know," Maz replied with a small laugh. "Search your feelings and you'll find the answer."

"Lana…" Poe whispered.

"Ah yeah… the younger Solo. Curious child, very curious. Take care of her."

"Maz… you know her. She won't let me."

"I know her… as to if she let you or not, time will tell." She closed her eyes for a moment, feeling a disturbance in the force.

"Poor child…" she whispered. "She's back on her ship. Go to her or she'll leave without you."

"Leave where?" Poe asked completely confused.

"For her brother," she said with a smile. "It looks like things just got personal."


End file.
